Two injured in crash involving former County Council member

Colleen Uechi

cuechi@mauinews.com

A former Maui County Council member was involved in a collision Thursday night in Kahului that sent two teenagers to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries.

Joycelyn Victorino confirmed Sunday that her husband, Mike Victorino, who previously held the council’s Wailuku-Waihee-Waikapu residency seat and has announced plans to run for Maui County mayor in 2018, was the driver in the collision, but said that he was not under the influence of alcohol and was not speeding, which matched a statement from police.

“I am devastated by this,” Mike Victorino said Sunday. “I hurt for them. And I want them to get a speedy and total recovery. That’s my prayer for the two of them and their families.”

At about 9:30 p.m. Thursday, a 2000 Mercury sport utility vehicle was traveling in the west-bound lane of West Papa Avenue when an 18-year-old male and a 15-year-old male stepped into the roadway and attempted to cross toward Luana Gardens, police spokesman Lt. Gregg Okamoto said. The vehicle struck both males. Both of the teens were injured and were transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center in stable condition.

Okamoto said that the 64-year-old male driver stopped the vehicle and waited for police to arrive. The driver and his 59-year-old female passenger were not injured, though the vehicle sustained minor damage.

Initial investigation revealed that the pedestrians were not in a crosswalk at the time of the collision, Okamoto said. Speed and alcohol are not suspected to be a factor.

Joycelyn Victorino said it was dark and drizzling while her husband was driving. She said that she and her husband “do not drink at all” and estimated the car was going about 20 to 25 mph.

“We were both looking forward. The kids were nowhere to be seen,” she said. “The only time we saw the children was when they were right up to the car. I yelled to Mike, ‘Watch out!’ He pressed the brakes immediately. . . . As soon as Mike got out, he ran to render aid to the kids, and he told me to call 911.”

Laveda Bicoy-Garcia, the mother of the 18-year-old, said Sunday that her son suffered a broken femur but was out of surgery and doing better. She said that he is “a smart, bright kid” with a 4.0 GPA at Maui High School, where he is a senior. He enjoys boxing with the nonprofit Southside Boxing Club of Maui in Kihei.

“He wanted to train for MMA, but now I don’t know if he can because he has (a rod) in his leg,” said Bicoy-Garcia, who did not want to identify her son by name.

Her son told her that the teens had been in a crosswalk at the time of the collision.

Bicoy-Garcia also confirmed that the 15-year-old is her nephew and that he was discharged from the hospital Thursday night. The Maui News was not able to contact the younger boy’s family Sunday.

Joycelyn Victorino, who went to visit the older boy in the hospital Sunday, thanked the first responders.

“Our biggest concern right now is to get the children back to being in good health,” she said.